Breaking Up or Making Up?
by ConfusedColumbia26220
Summary: Based on Angel and Collins' verse in "Christmas Bells", but takes place in the movie setting. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing Rent. . .or Sweeney Todd. . .or any of Avril Lavinge's (sp) songs.**

**AN: If you can catch the Sweeney Todd Reference OR Avril Lavinges song, you get an Angel hug, if you catch both, you get an Angel hug AND an all day shopping spree with her. :)**

Collins and Angel were sitting on the couch in the living room of their small apartment when Collins spoke up.

"Angel," he began. Angel turned and looked at him. "You shouldn't have to take me in. I don't deserve you - you deserve so much better than me."

"Collins?" Angel said with tears of confusion. "It's Valentine's Day. . .please don't do this -!!" Collins cut her off.

"I'm sorry, Angel. I don't deserve you. All you do is give, give, give. I can't keep taking things, and I have nothing to give. I'm not the person you belong with." Collins said standing up. He started walking towards the door.

"Wait!" Angel cried out, tears streaming down her face now. But she hadn't moved from her spot on the couch. "Don't go! I need you, you make me happy, I - I love you!" Collins turned around.

"I'm not the one to love." he said softly.

This made Angel begin to sob. It hurt Collins to see Angel upset, but he knew this was for her own good.

"Collins! What's going on in your head right now? What makes you think this? This best thing in my life is not not going to walk right back out! Give me a reason to throw our relationship away!" This was _NOT_ happening to Angel. . .not again.

"I had a brother, four years older than me, he got AIDS, actually both him and I were born into AIDS. He died four years ago. I don't want you to get hurt, I don't want anyone to get hurt. I don't want you to watch me die." Collins said.

"I'm already hurt." Angel said. "If you come back and sit with me, comfort me, I may have enough strength to tell you my story." Angel said. "And not even Mimi knows my story." she added. This made Collins feel bad, he returned to the couch and hugged Angel to him, tight. Angel cried into Collins' shoulder, she'd nearly lost him. Collins rubbed small, reassuring circles on Abgel's back.

"It's okay, it's okay, Sssh. I just wanted you to be happy, now I realize that I must stay in order for you to be happy." Collins said soothingly. Angel kissed him.

"Oh my god, you really scared me! I thought you were really going to leave!" Angel said, cupping Collins' face in her hands, admiring his handsomeness.

"I'm sorry I scared you," Collins apologized. "I won't leave you."

"Promise?" Angel asked.

"Promise." Collins confirmed.

"Good, because if you left then, no one would know my story, and I need just one person to know what happened to me." Angel said, the tears coming back from the memories. Collins wiped the tears away.

"You don't have to tell me." he said, seeing in her eyes that it was a bad experience and retelling it was just as bad as reliving it.

"You need to know." Angel said. Collins offered her his hand and she took it, squeezing it as she shut her eyes, remembering every detail.

"It started out when I confessed to my parents that I was gay. I was only sixteen years old and still a virgin, still single. My mom yelled at me, lectured me on how the bible says that man and woman are meant for each other. All the while my dad had stipped me down to nothing and was beating me with his belt. My mom began sprinkling Holy Water on me. My dad was still beating me, I was bleeding. My Dad spit on me and it landed right on one of my wounds. They threw me in a closet for three weeks, I was starving and thirsty, not to mention had grown infections on my wounds and was still holding my bladder, I was still naked. To teach me a lesson, my parents hired a female prostitute to rape me, and rape me she did. She was in her late twenties, early thirties. She nearly killed me, she might as well have too. She had AIDS. She gave me AIDS." Angel opened her eyes to see Collins staring at her, tears silently sliding down his face. Angel felt like a weight had been liften from her shoulders, but she still felt like crap. She bent her head down and began to cry again. Collins hugged her tight to him, and it was a protective hug. Angel felt safe in his arms.

"I'm so very sorry you had to go through that, Angel. I am honestly shocked your parents did that to you." Collins said.

"There's a tiny bit more." Angel said. "My parents knew she had AIDS. They wanted me to have AIDS. They wanted to kill me." she said. She began to sob and Collins started rocking her back and forth.

"I'm not going to let anything harm you. No, nothing's going to harm you, not while I'm around." Collins sang softly to her. "You're not alone, together we stand. I'll be at your side. You know I'll take your hand. When it gets cold, and it feels like the end. There's no place to go, you know I won't give in, no I won't give in. Keep holding on, just stay strong, cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you." he kissed Angel softly on the cheek. Angel smiled.

"I love you, I love you so much." she said. All was calm now. Collins' singing had soothed her.

"I love you too, I love you too." Collins said.

"Collins?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for listening to my story. It means a lot to me. Especially because you're my first partner. . .ever."

"You're welcome. . .I am?"

"Yes, and you're gonna be my last, my only." Angel said,

"That I will be." Collins confirmed.

"Good." Angel replied. "Because no on can ever replace you." Angel kissed Collins before falling asleep in his arms.


End file.
